Pump track dedication today

Mayor Howard Burrell and the Vernon Pump Track and Park Committee will hold a memorial dedication and biking event at noon Saturday, Nov. 25 at the new pump track park, Black Creek Drive, Vernon.

The mayor and Township Council previously approved the creation of a memorial area for Jason Rinker at the pump track. The area has a flagpole donated by his family and a monument in his memory.

Rinker owned and operated Ridetopia, a local bike shop next to Mountain Creek for 15 years until his death in January 2021.

It was his dream to build a bicycle pump track for the township’s youth. He began racing BMX bicycles at 5 years old and wanted to provide similar opportunities for children in Vernon, said his mother, Sally.

Rinker holds the national record for downhill mountain biking in his age class, never losing a race.